Search form

UA Soccer Shutout in Season Finale at No. 1 Stanford, 6-0

STANFORD, Calif. (Nov. 10) - In its final match of the 2002 season, the University of Arizona women's soccer team was shutout by No. 1 Stanford, 6-0, in Palo Alto on Sunday. The Wildcats finished the season at 6-12-1 overall and 1-8-0 in Pac-10 play, while Stanford is 18-1-0 overall and a perfect 9-0-0 in conference action, claiming the 2002 Pac-10 title. This is the first time in nine years of Arizona soccer that the Wildcats have played a No. 1-ranked team.

It was a rough first half for the Wildcats. The Cardinal scored their first goal at 1:45 and never looked back. They struck again at 8:25, and then dented the net three more times in an 11-minute span late in the period. Junior midfielder Lindsey Greenwood (Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley HS) had Arizona's first shot of the game during the 20th minute, a header that Cardinal goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart had to stop. Stanford led, 5-0, at halftime.

Senior defender Tymarie Novak (Orange, Calif./Rosary Catholic HS) took advantage of a Stanford foul in the 55th minute to send a free kick directly at the Cardinal goal, but Barnhart was able to tip the ball away just before it went in. The Cats held Stanford scoreless for the majority of the second half, although the Cardinal managed to score another goal in the 62nd minute.

The Cats had two shots for the match, both on-goal. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Natalie Juarez (Claremont, Calif. HS) played the entire 90 minutes in-goal for the Wildcats, tallying seven saves.

Arizona ends the season with six wins, surpassing last year's total of five and logging the most wins since the 1999 team had seven. The Wildcats set or tied 17 school records this year, including most goals in a season (37), most assists (32) and most total points (106). Redshirt freshman forward Kelly Nelson (Lakewood, Calif./Mayfair HS) set a new school record for most goals in a season (13) and tied the single-season records for most total points (27) and most game-winning goals (3).

The future looks very bright for the Wildcats, as five of their top six scorers in 2002 were freshmen. With a roster this season that sported a combined total of only four juniors and seniors, the Cats should return almost 80% of their offensive production next year.